where do broken hearts go - mason mount
this is based very loosely on the song but i kinda like it mwah
mason passed the champagne flute from one hand to the other, wrapping his fingers delicately around the stem in fear of it shattering into shards before his very eyes. the mundane drones of guests drowned out the soft melody of a piano that lingered between the four walls of the hall, his lips pressing against the thin glass as he took timed sips of his drink every now and then. he tried to look interested in the chatter that surrounded him, narrowing his eyelids and nodding in all the right places; but boredom was starting to seep into his words as he stumbled over answers to questions he hadn’t listened to.
wandering eyes soon found what they were looking for, his gaze catching yours through the crowds of elegant ball-gowns and crisp suits. you hadn’t changed, the same soft face drenched in innocence as he studied you from afar. he knew your cheeks would be tainted with a deep red as you tried to divert your stare, eyebrows knitted together as he issued an excused apology before shuffling from the circle of equally disinterested people he’d been standing with for most of the evening.
it had been the first time seeing you since he walked away from the home he’d built within the corners of your heart, merely leaving you without a second glance. it had been for the best he convinced himself, that you were both going to hurt each other. but he missed you; the bitterness that hung heavy in the pit of his stomach sometimes became too unbearable as he tossed and turned during the winter nights. in the darkest abyss of his mind he knew he was being incredibly selfish, that he’d broken your heart to ensure that he was able to leave unscathed.
he didn’t have to say anything as you ducked your head, swallowing a dry lump that sat in the back of your throat. his forearm brushed against yours as he stood next to you, silence coating the tension between you both as he took another sip of his drink. you had both agreed to stay friends, your sobs evident as you wiped the back of your nose with your hand as mason promised that your friendship was still intact. you hadn’t seen him since; apart from the silhouette of him that sometimes appeared when your eyes were closed. in your dreams mason came home to you and for a split second every hardship that you had endured had meaning. but he didn’t come home.
"i didn't know you had an invite to this..." his words were shallow as he finally spoke, your chin turning towards him as you nodded hesitantly. you received one through the mistake that the host still thought you and mason were together, a couple invite shoved through your letterbox as you re-read the calligraphy of your name next to his. you had shoved it between a stack of letters that were hidden in the back of a kitchen drawer; forgetting about it until you'd had one too many glasses of wine one evening and decided to accept through glazed eyes.
"it's nice seeing you again." the corners of mason's lips tugged into a small smile but his eyes still seemed blank, treading cautiously around the words he said in hopes you didn't huff in annoyance and storm off. you had every right to do just that but you didn't, the sentence ringing in your ears as you mirrored his nervous gulps as people shimmied past with tight-lipped frowns.
"ditto." you response was just as dry as his, the metal of your ring clinking against the glass or your half-empty flute as you watched the crowds of people disperse throughout the decorated ballroom. rewind seven months ago and you'd be in mason's arms on the dance-floor, his arms tight around your waist as his eyes would be focused on you - fast forward to now, your pupils barely able to meet his and his touch no longer familiar.
he mumbled a quick i hope you're good to a few passing people, their hands slapping against the back of his palm as they shook hands firmly. your sight lingered on the curve of his knuckles, a metal band sitting on his finger as he pressed his lips together in anticipation. he hardly wore rings when you were together, occasionally slipping them on when you attended a black-tie event. you liked when he wore them; intertwining your fingers with his as you'd roll the metal against your thumb, your lips against his ear as you'd softly plead with him to wear them more often.
"we used to hate stuff like this, didn't we?" the past tense of his words stung, reopening the scars that you'd managed to bury inside of you. you nodded again, still not uttering a word as you let your thoughts drift to the one's that were certainly clouding mason's brain as well. you finished the last dribble of bubbly with a sigh as you settled against the wall, your bare spine rippling in goosebumps as you figured you were content with this moment right now.